Now available on DVD
Cast:
Vinnie Jones as Mr. Hunter
Jason Barry as Professor David Wallace
Nora-Jane Noone as Saiorse Reilly
Adam Fogerty as Bog Body
Gavin Kelty as Deano Doyle
Amy Huberman as Hannah Ross
Directed by: Brendan Foley
Review:
Calling Legend of the Bog a horror film is a bit of a misnomer.
Because thereâs nothing scary about it.
Well, OK, I take that back. If you think a big dumb idiot bumbling, stumbling and fumbling around what appears to be the Hollywood Hills (made out to be the Irish countryside) is scary, then maybe this movie is for you. You see, thatâs what you get with this so-called horror flick.
It is too bad because the opening minutes â where star Vinnie Jones kills a nasty bog creature then fights off another undead chick that rises from the water â is actually quite appealing. But it quickly goes downhill from there.
There is no explanation as to why these two creatures were out in the bog other than they just seem to rise occasionally and Jonesâ character hunts them. But it has something to do with uncovering the dead and disturbing their resting places bringing them back and angrier than ever. But for these two, we never find out why they were brought back and who disturbed them, they are just there.
The main plot takes effect when a greedy land developer uncovers a dead body and instead of giving it a proper burial or turning it over to the local anthropologist, she tells the crew to toss it into the river. Big mistake as it is brought back to life turning into a walking bumbling, stumbling, totally unscary creature of evil. OK, that may not be true either because there are times when it just seems it is misunderstood and is just killing puppies and local countrymen because thatâs all he knows.
This is where the director tries to inject some humor into the film. Showing the big dumb guy killing dogs in order to fashion a pair of boots or biting into a plastic water bottle in order to get a tasty beverage. Itâs pointless and so completely out-of-place â because other elements are made to be straight-forward and serious â that it falls flat on its face every time. Even at the beginning when Jones is battling the two demons he kicks one of the chopped off hands to it and it waves thanks. Huh? They just had a serious battle and now it gets comical?
Anyway, after a number of people get stranded in the Hollywood Hills they all conveniently find the one cable in the middle of these supposedly huge woods where the hunter, called for simplicity Mr. Hunter (Jones), happens to reside. Soon, one-by-one they are taken out by the bumbling undead dude that wants revenge for having been disturbed from his watery slumber.
Finally, this mess of a movie ends with the main protagonist finding a way to defeat the creature â because gunshots and steel blades wonât work â in a most non-original and totally predictable fashion. Guess the beast really was that dumb.
Extras:
There arenât any. I guess given the no-budget of the film didnât lead them to include any behind-the-scenes material. Maybe it was too much to do given the awesome plotline.
